Have you ever been 'lectured' about driving by someone who does not know how to drive? Or maybe having a basketball coach who never even plays basketball? Or maybe being 'schooled' by someone about sales who never even closed a single sale by his own in his entire life? Well flight attendants experience similar incidents a lot of times, when people who have minimal knowledge or even never worked as a flight attendant or in the commercial aviation industry, sort of 'lectures' the cabin crew about their duties and responsibilities.

To us, it is like a chef being lectured by someone who never even cooks!

We have heard plenty of stories from flight attendants about how they get 'schooled' by some people about their jobs and these people even never experienced cabin crew training. Most common statements made by what we call "experts" who base their personal 'facts' on what they see are:

It is a flight attendant's duty to make sure all flights leave on time.

It is a cabin crew's job to know the weather in any place that they are flying above on.

It is the cabin crew's duty to know the islands and places that they are flying above on.

It is the flight attendant's duty to make sure the passenger makes the connecting flight

It is the primary job of the cabin crew to make sure passengers get what they want and are comfortable, even if safety is at risk.

Where do people get these so-called 'facts'? We got no idea because Google would even tell them the exact opposite. So this means one thing. These "experts" base their self-concluded 'facts' on pure sight. Well we do respect and acknowledge that people are entitled to their own personal take on any issue but let us never forget to stick to the facts and the reality of the job. Let's try to do a little indepth research about a flight attendant's duty and what their job is all about.

The primary duty of flight attendants is to ensure the safety and security of all passengers. Comfort, service, and experience are secondary. Safety is paramount. Your flight attendants will not compromise safety for comfort.

Flight attendants have no control over airline operations and other factors that may cause delays. If the flight is delayed due to bad weather, you flight attendant got no power to clear the skies.

It is not a flight attendant's duty to know the weather in every place you are flying above on. They could tell you the present weather at your destination but not in every place you fly above. Though if you really are concerned over the weather in that little island you see outside the window, you may politely ask the FAs if they could ask the pilots. The flight deck has access to all weather condition.

It is NOT a flight attendant's duty to lift passenger luggage unto the overhead compartment of the aircraft. However, your cabin crew are obligated to LEND ASSISTANCE to passengers who may need help in lifting their luggage like PWDs, elderlies, and pregnant women.

Your flight attendants could lend you assistance or advice you on how to go about your connecting flight or what to do incase you miss it but it is not their full responsibility to make sure that you make it.

A flight attendant goes through a detailed and grueling training for 2 to 3 months before becoming a cabin crew. They learn all about the aircraft, airline policies, safety equipment, emergency procedures, SOPs for take-off and landing, and simply a lot of details for them to memorize all about safety. They go through safety drills which even include first aid training, ditching, staying afloat in deep waters, jump and slide, fire fighting, and even self defense. Some even go through personality training, service training, and even speech classes. Hence, a cabin crew's knowledge about their job is immense. No need to lecture them about their job except if you are their manager, a flight purser, a more senior cabin crew, a former/retired cabin crew, or someone who works for the airline industry, particularly with the inflight department.

What should flight attendants do when they encounter such people? First is not to get intimidated. Second is to have presence of mind. Third is to apply what they were trained to do by the airline on handling such people or passengers. Airlines provide their flight attendants intensive training on handling different passenger situations and encounters. When flight attendants encounter such people, best thing for them to do is to keep emotions at check and then apply what was taught to them during their cabin crew training by the airline.

Our message to these "experts"? There is no harm in doing research about a cabin crew's job before talking. As they say, "maraming namamatay sa maling akala". Let us also avoid prejudicing a flight attendant's job.

​Avoid telling a Chef how to make tasty dish if you yourself does not know how to cook.

​Below is a video on the life of a Cathay Pacific flight attendant. Hope this will somehow shed knowledge about the job of a cabin crew.